Pepsi prepares for the arrival of World Cup 2011 with 'Change the Game'

The cola company will be introducing  a 360 degree campaign- Change the Game, from January 15, 2011 in two phases. The campaign will end in the first week of April.

PepsiCo India, the official beverage partner for the forthcoming World Cup - Cricket 2011, is all set to launch a 360 degree campaign in two phases in order to spread the fever of the game. Through its campaign, the beverage company will be promoting the message, 'Change the Game'.
Says Sandeep Singh Arora, executive vice-president, marketing, cola, PepsiCo India, "Change the Game is big idea in the context of the game of cricket. With this crusade, we hope to motivate the youth to change the game, be innovative, take risks and do things differently."
Pepsi will launch five television commercials which will have innovative shots like the Helicopter shot, the Switch Hit, the Upper Cut, the Discoop and the Doosra, that have either been exposed by the youth or the players. Conceptualised by Taproot India, the TVC will feature cricketers like Virender Sehwag, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Kevin Pietersen discovering the shots and making them a part of their game. The TVC will be on air from January 15, 2011 and will continue in phases till the first week of April.
Speaking about the concept of the campaign, 'Change the Game', Agnello Dias, creative director, Taproot India, says, "Pepsi has always been the brave voice of the uninhibited youth and this image needs to be interpreted by the company as the official partner. It is the unplugged, organic face of modern cricket that is a reflection of everything the youth of today believes in. It's not the textbook that matters, but the result at the end of the day. Because, the game can always change."
Additionally, the company will launch an outdoor campaign, which will show the five cricketers donning body art as a representation of the change as well as a radio campaign. The outdoor campaign will be executed by Mudra Max and Sportland. Pepsi will also launch a print campaign, but at a later stage, after the tournament begins. Arora explains, "We plan to use print in an innovative way during the games, as print advertising now has come of age as it provides unique solutions to the marketers."
Pepsi will also introduce a consumer engagement programme in which the company will conduct auditions to find new shots, styles of commentary and cheering. The company will select the best 11 candidates from the number of people auditioned. The 11 winners will get to watch all the matches live from the stadium.
The company plans to show the videos of the candidates on its website, which has also been redesigned, keeping the event in mind. At the same time, a Facebook page will be created for fans to post the links of the videos uploaded on Pepsi's site. Moreover, the 11 winners will also post their experiences of watching the live matches.
Pepsi claims the two-phased campaign will witness a lot of innovation in the space of print and outdoor during the event. Says Arora, "Pepsi aims at creating highest recall through the campaign. The World Cup gives the opportunity to create maximum association with the consumers, highest brand recall, and so on. And we at Pepsi, will leverage this opportunity to the optimum level."
By Anushree Bhattacharyya